Metro-North announces safety reforms

Metro-North announced on Thursday a series of reforms the railroad is undertaking to improve safety.

Metro-North announced a series of safety reforms following serious incidents, including a deadly train derailment in December.Credit: NTSB

Metro-North announced on Thursday a series of reforms the railroad is undertaking to improve safety after several serious incidents in the last year and a federal review of operating practices.

The review, conducted over the winter following a deadly train derailment in December, found a "poor safety culture" at the railroad.

Metro-North said a work plan has been established to address each of the actions identified in the review. The railroad is conducting outreach to employees and reorganizing the Safety Department.

Initiatives also include reductions in the maximum authorized speeds, ensuring no Metro-North locations require speed reductions of more than 20 miles per hour, and well as outfitting more of the railcar fleet with "Alerters" to keep train engineers responsive.